Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 365 The Oath of the Rose Ship: The Commander's Return

"The king was not the one who gave the order, but the one who was still willing to fire on the city that burned the map of destiny in the end."

—Quoted from "Military and Political Documents: Commander-in-Chief's Oath"

Off the coast of Chongqing, on the seventh front, in the temporary command area of ​​the Royal Fleet.

The sea fog was cold and gloomy, the night tide whispered darkly, and the spell-inscribed torches trembled slightly in the gale at the bow of the ship, as if telling of some unspeakable fear.

On the flagship "Royal Rose Saint Trean," Edel, clad in a black and gold commander's cloak, stood at the very front of the bridge.

His gaze was deep and calm, and he silently turned the chart representing the imperial military lineage in his hand.

At the edge of the sea, the Doomsday Rose retreated in disarray, its shattered hull trailing a broken yet proud trail of World-type runes as it slowly disappeared into the dark tides.

This standoff has lasted for several hours—from the sudden attack on the capital's coastal defenses to Edel leading four ships in a hunt.

The Doomsday Rose repeatedly escaped, dragging the battle line into a torn mess of life patterns.

However, Edel never personally ordered its complete demise.

Because he knew perfectly well that behind that ship stood Baroque—the lone warrior who had once fought against the ancient whales on that isolated island.

This is not just a war, but an unspeakable choice about the future of the empire.

“Your Highness,” Vice Admiral David Lowen hurriedly stepped onto the bridge, handing over the letter with the destiny map in his hand, his expression as solemn as the night itself.

"Urgent message from the Royal Capital Military Command Tower, top-secret level—identity verified as Princess Liseria, the youngest daughter of the Emperor."

Edel's eyes narrowed slightly, and with a flick of his finger, the runes of destiny unfolded before him—

The Royal Palace's Mandate Map has partially collapsed, the Church's Blood Sacrifice Array has been activated, Harlan's Mirror Tide controls one-third of the royal capital's districts, Orion is out of control, and the Noble Council has evacuated.

The last sentence, written in that extremely familiar handwriting that made his chest tighten, slowly came into view:
"Brother, I am guarding the empire."

Will you come back?

Edel remained silent for seven seconds, his face as still as a statue. Lorne looked at him nervously and whispered, "Your Highness, now it is your decision—should we continue the pursuit?"

Edel did not respond immediately, but instead gazed up at the receding silhouette of the Doomsday Rose, the ship seeming like a profound metaphor.

It slowly melted away into the night, as if another possible future was being banished from the empire's voyage.

He recalled his father Henrian's whispered sigh before his death:
“Edel, you were never a king.”

"But if you are also unwilling to protect the people, then this city will have no protectors left."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the same night sea, a spell-inscribed passage of dreamlike whispers quietly opened.

The Lost One's Dream Channel precisely connected to the Doomsday Rose's vice president. Baroque stood at the bow, with the illusory images of Si Ming and Allison floating on either side of him, like conspirators in the shadows.

Allison's voice was cold and tinged with suppressed anxiety: "We had planned until the fifth round, but we underestimated their ruthlessness—not their cunning tactics, but their fanatical belief."

Baroque's face was gloomy, and he replied in a low voice: "The Church's celestial calamity was activated too quickly, and even those madmen like Mirror Tide couldn't help but make their appearance ahead of schedule."

You originally intended to lure Edel away to maintain the capital's 'neutral node,' but now? Who in this city remains neutral?

Si Ming's voice was extremely calm, yet it carried an invisible helplessness: "Orion sealed off the royal palace, Liseria ignited the Azure Lion, Medici sacrificed her life, the Mirror Tide tore apart the reflection... The situation has been out of control since we uttered the first lie?"

Allison lowered her gaze slightly, clutching a broken fragment of a military curse in her hand. After a moment of silence, she slowly said, "...At first, I bet he wouldn't come back."

She raised her head, her eyes as cold and hard as iron: "But now, I can't afford to lose this bet."

Baroque paused for a moment, then looked at the fleet commanded by Edel in the distance.

The fleet, representing the empire's last remaining strength, asked in a low voice, "Do you want me to go and persuade him?"

Si Ming shook his head slightly, his tone a little cold: "It's not about persuasion, it's about telling him the truth."

Allison picked up the conversation, her eyes filled with a chilling determination: "Tell him—this is not a war for the throne."

Si Ming's voice grew deeper and more powerful: "Tell him—that girl shouldn't bear the fate of the entire empire alone."

The runes of the secret channel trembled slightly in the air before falling silent.

The next instant, the Doomsday Rose's second-in-command slowly turned around, and a pale, cursed flag woven from illusions silently rose in the night wind atop its bow.
Like the unfinished glory of an old empire quietly reigniting under the cover of night.

On the bridge of HMS Royal Rose, the lights flickered, and Edel stood solemnly before the porthole, his gaze as deep as a knife, fixed on the Dream Flag fluttering in the wind.

He understood that this was neither negotiation nor provocation.

This is a summons.

Lieutenant Lorne's expression was complicated as he asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, are we just going to let them leave like this?"

Edel's voice was deep and solemn:
"They were never our enemies."

"The real enemy is that woman who attempts to use the entire capital as an altar and become a goddess by trampling on the flesh and blood of the people."

He turned and walked toward the main control panel on the bridge, the destiny diagram on his palm trembling slightly, like a heartbeat.

"Turn the entire ship around."

"Set sail and return to the capital."

"Preparing to activate the second layer of attributes for the Rose flagship."

The entire warship responded in a low voice, like a sleeping behemoth awakening.

At this moment, the imperial commander finally abandoned the optimal tactical solution and instead headed towards the city torn apart by the hand of fate—

For his sister, for the capital city, and for the people who have not yet been sacrificed in the darkness.

The surging tides resembled a summoning cursed sea, and the fleet regrouped, like an inverted sequence of stars.

Edel boarded the flagship in the center of the fleet—the HMS Saint Terrion Royal Rose.

This ancient warship, known as the "Imperial Sea Seal," floats silently in the night's cursed currents, its World System inscriptions gradually reviving.

Inside the bridge, the projection of the Empire's destiny slowly unfolded.

Edel knelt silently on one knee and slowly pressed a platinum seal engraved with ancient inscriptions into the star pattern on the back of his hand.

【Mysterious Card: No. 047 - World Series - Saint Trean Royal Rose】

Bound by: Edel Trean.

Permission status: Commander-level fully unlocked.

Request for confirmation: Should we enable the second term – Domain Bombardment?
The adjutant, Lorne, spoke with a hint of unease: "Your Highness, the second entry has been unused for a long time, which may cause a mysterious backlash..."

Edel did not respond. His gaze passed through the projection of the destiny map, fixed on the city where fates were intertwined.

The twelve altars of the Church of Our Lady have been activated up to the tenth sequence, and the blood moon slowly rotates in the sky.
Like a strange, gaping eye, it coldly surveys the people of Areston who are about to be sacrificed.

The Cataclysm is 79% complete.

“We’re running out of time,” he muttered to himself, then pressed the permission confirmation button.

The ship suddenly roared, and the domain runes surged like a tidal wave.

Dozens of golden flames lit up the surface of the ship as the Saint Trean slowly rose, as if a god had been forced to awaken, and the sea began to tremble due to the immense magical energy.

The ship's soul star pattern emitted a heavy sigh, and the world core at the center of the ship slowly cracked open, revealing an ancient and terrifying star map cannon channel.

—

[Second Term Activation: Domain Bombardment]

Effect: Locks 2000×2000 life map units within the area and delivers a structurally devastating blow with World-type Cursed Fire.

Edel quickly locked onto his target—the heart of the church, the Temple of Our Lady in the First Diocese.

That place was the heart of Medici's ascension ceremony, and the site of the grandest life sacrifice. "Target calibration complete."

Edel glanced back, scanning the eyes of everyone on the bridge.

The lieutenant general, the helmsman, the chart maintainer, the military order messenger... everyone held their breath, waiting for this incantation that would rewrite history.

He took a deep breath, his voice as firm as iron, steady and cold:
"In the name of Wang Tu".

"Begin the bombardment."

In an instant, the ship trembled, and the power of the star map, like a roaring sea of ​​curses, pierced through the bridge!
The Rose's main cannon unleashed a golden, radiant flame powerful enough to shake the stars, piercing the night.
Like a judgment upon the fate of the empire, it fell precisely into the core of the altar of the Holy Mother Temple of the Central Church in the royal capital!

The roar echoed throughout the city, as if even the gods were uttering a silent wail at that moment.

For the first time, cracks appeared in the shadow of the blood moon in the sky.

The capital trembled, and for the first time, people saw—

Even the "goddess" who is about to ascend to the throne can be shaken by mortals.

The sacrificial array shattered, the runes scattered into ashes, and the blood sacrifice chain broke into fragments in an instant. The spell diagram in front of Medusa trembled violently like a nightmare!
The Temple of Our Lady.

With the blood moon high in the sky, the core of the sacrificial array has transformed into a "divine echo matrix" completely isolated from the outside world.
More than a thousand life runes swirled rapidly in the air like offerings, their spiritual energy surging to its limit, nearing its critical point.

Medici stood in the center of the altar, her upper body gradually becoming transparent, her divinity undergoing its final "transformation," and the gate to the void was slowly opening for her.

She could almost see the empire she would conquer after ascending to godhood, hear the prayers and sacrificial chants of the people, and even feel the rhythm of countless sacrificial hearts beating.

But in that instant, the sky suddenly burst open, and a flame of rose, not of this world, descended from among the stars.

Before the incantation had even finished, the domain was already shattered.

The enchanted barrier above the parish shattered as if struck by a divine hammer, its enchanted rings twisted and broken.

The message patterns shattered into countless fragments, and all the spells went out of control like a galaxy falling into a black hole!

The next instant, the golden-red pillar of starlight pierced the sky like a divine sword, striking the core rune matrix in the center of the parish with precision and ferocity.

The blood sacrifice array of the Seventh Diocese was completely wiped out by more than 80% in just a few breaths.

Cursed fire crisscrossed the earth's veins, blood sacrifice flowed backward, the feedback of faith completely collapsed, and the gate of celestial calamity was severed!

Medici's body trembled violently, her face turning ashen. She struggled to stay upright and looked up at the warship in the sky.

The inscriptions on the hull of the Rose shone brightly like stars:

[With the rose of empire, the crown of the false god is ignited.]

She screamed almost frantically:

"Edel!"

The entire church hall instantly descended into boundless chaos.

Believers scattered and fled, the sacrificial structure collapsed with a roar, and blood flowed out like a broken spell. For the first time, the usually calm Divine Grace Knights felt the fear called "the collapse of the destiny chart".

Meanwhile, Rex, watching from afar as the galactic flame pierced the dome, exhaled a deep breath and solemnly murmured:

"The commander has finally returned to where he belongs."

On the bridge of the Lost One, Si Ming gazed at the dreamlike star map before him and calmly nodded:

"Firepower is set."

"Tell the girl standing behind the lion—she will no longer fight against fate alone."

On the streets of Broken Tower, Celian stopped and gazed up at the sky, the starlight reflecting in her eyes, and a subtle smile crept onto her lips:
"He's finally back."

"We...we've made it to this moment."

Bridge of HMS St. Terrion Royal Rose.

A mysterious light slowly swirled in Edel's palm.

With this galaxy-like cursed fire, he personally shattered not only the divinity of the church, but also the "military neutrality" oath that had bound him for many years.

He firmly believed that the duty of a soldier was to maintain balance, not to get involved in royal disputes, and not to interfere with the fate of the empire.

But when they saw the children of Broken Tower Street crying out in terror, the royal palace locked in endless darkness, and the city's borders beginning to crumble...

Standing atop the raging tide of fate was none other than his once frail and helpless younger sister—

He suddenly understood.

Empires have no need for so-called "neutrality".

The empire needs a decisive choice.

He slowly walked to the center of the bridge, his gaze passing over the distant Royal Capital Star Chart Tower.

That place, once a symbol of imperial authority, now bears dim and faded marks, like a dying behemoth making its final struggle.

Edel placed his right hand on the military crest on his chest and softly recited the oath his father, Henrian, had left him—the dying wish of a true king:
"If the star map is shattered, I will mend it with my own body."

"If the king's banner is broken, I will use my spear as a flag."

He opened his eyes, his gaze calm and resolute:
"I have returned not to vie for the crown."

"I have returned for the empire, and for all those who are still struggling against fate in solitude."

Lieutenant Lorne stepped forward solemnly, his voice heavy:
"Your Highness, the entire city's destiny map is resonating with you once again."

Her Highness replied, "I am willing to uphold the destiny of the Rose and the Lion with my brother."

Edel smiled upon hearing this, but his gaze held a barely perceptible tenderness and sadness:

"She has finally grown up."

He then removed his epaulets, revealing the intricately interwoven life patterns deep within the core of the curse mark—proof that the veins of his life were deeply bound to the Rose.

The lieutenant exclaimed in shock, "Your Highness, you..."

Edel nodded calmly, his voice low and irresistible:
"Military Intelligence Bureau privileges, unlocked across the entire domain."

"Lone Wolf Mode - Activated".

【World System: Saint Terrion Royal Rose】

[Third entry: Lone Warrior Mode - Fully Activated]

[Effect: Immune to all attacks for 20 minutes, enters unlimited firepower mode]

The ship roared, its runes swirled violently, and the trajectory of the star map suddenly accelerated—this colossal vessel, a symbol of the empire's glory,
Like a blazing meteor that extinguished the darkness, it rushed swiftly toward the battlefield in the center of the capital!

The entire city witnessed clearly the rose-colored starlight that pierced the night sky, echoing powerfully like a vow from the past and the future:

"The commander-in-chief will no longer stand idly by."

"Saint-Trian—return to your place now!"

Liseria, standing beneath the Star Chart Tower, gazed up at the magnificent shooting star, smiled slightly, and spoke in a soft yet resolute voice:
"Edel, thank you for coming back."

She wiped the soot from her face, gripped the lion's reins tightly again, and her gaze was as clear as ever:
"Let's guard the destiny chart together tonight."

"The true commander is not the one who is granted royal power."

Rather, it was the person who, knowing he would die, still took the final blow for Xingtu.

—Excerpt from "The Final Chapter of the King's Map: Chronicles of the Roses"

(End of this chapter)